Season 2 of the Imtiaz Ali Netflix series “She” explores Bhumi’s journey into the world of crime. By living the life of a sex worker, Bhumi could be the fierce woman she never thought she was. Season 1 dealt with how Bhumi was introduced to Nayak, a drug lord. When he figured out that she was sent by the police, she promised to work for him and help him build his empire. In season 2, Bhumi lives a double life. She has to play her part as a police constable and, at the same time, be the lover of a criminal. There was no doubt that she was falling in love with Nayak, but she feared the extent to which she had to go to win his trust. One thing that Bhumi had to learn the hard way was that she alone was responsible for her well-being.
While “She” had the potential to become an empowering tale, it fails to be so. The series does not seem to get the fact that a woman is more than her sexuality. While her sexual journey was important, what is truly enraging is how she was treated as a sexual object and nothing more. She is meant to be desired by men, and she feels empowered when men find her fulfilling. The character is mostly controlled by men—at first, the commander and then Nayak. Only at the end do we find Bhumi taking complete control of her life.
Spoilers Ahead
‘She’ Season 2: What Is Season 2 About?
Bhumi returns from Nayak’s place after ten days; she is questioned by the intelligence about what she had witnessed there. She did not remember much of the details since she was chained and kept in a room. But what everyone in the room wanted to know, particularly police commander Jason Fernandez, was how she managed to leave Nayak’s house unharmed. Bhumi did not disclose the fact that she had slept with Nayak; she simply said that she offered to be his informant, and he agreed to the deal. The next morning, she woke up and found Nayak and his men gone from the house, and she came to the police station soon after. This explanation did not sit right with Fernandez, a drug lord letting go of a police constable based on a mere promise that seemed to be too good to be true. But they had no other way to go. Bhumi was their only link with Nayak, and they could not afford to lose her.
Bhumi was back on the streets as a sex worker, hoping to be taken by Nayak’s men. The police closely watched her to track Nayak, but he was nowhere to be found for days. She started to notice a trans woman following her every day on her way to the hotel. She noticed her waiting in a car one night, and she accompanied her to an old building. Bhumi thought that it was Nayak who was testing her trust when the woman asked her to disclose Nayak’s whereabouts. But gradually, the woman became physically violent with her and threatened to kill her if she did not tell the truth. She explained that her husband was murdered by Nayak’s men, and she was seeking revenge. Bhumi managed to grab hold of the gun that had slipped away from the woman’s hand. The woman continued to threaten her and provoked her to shoot. To protect herself and also out of fear, she shot the woman dead. She called Fernandez and explained what had happened to her. He helped her get back home.
Soon after this incident, Nayak reached out to her, and the two met. He explained that he was the one to send the woman after her, and she was instructed to shoot Bhumi if she failed to shoot her. He explained that he knew Bhumi would be able to kill. To be with him, Bhumi had to have the experience of murdering a person, to feel the guilt and later the power that came with it. He explained that he, too, had to get rid of men just like trees needed to be chopped in a forest to stop the fire. He wanted Bhumi to witness the corpse and accept the fact that she would have to see a lot worse in her life and that only then could she become as powerful as Nayak someday. Nayak molded her to be his partner, though he was not entirely devoid of doubts regarding her faithfulness. He explained that he had watched her all this time through her mobile camera, to which he now had access. He knew the man she slept with, and he heard what she had told the police. He was glad that she kept important information hidden from the police, proving her loyalty. Bhumi was mesmerized by the power that one man had, and she had to choose what was more important in her life: her responsibility as a police constable or her newfound love.
How Did Nayak Manage To Fool The Police? Why Did Bhumi Change Her Team?
After meeting with Nayak, Bhumi texted Fernandez about it and sent him pictures of Nayak’s operations. The intelligence unit deduced that the numbers Bhumi had taken pictures of were coordinates to various locations, along with vehicle numbers and phone numbers. The police checked the information and saw that it was correct, and they marked each vehicle that they suspected was carrying drugs. Fernandez advised that instead of seizing a few trucks and warehouses, they must simply keep track of Nayak’s actions and catch him red-handed to seize his entire operation.
Bhumi returned to the police station the next day and informed them that Nayak could hear their conversation through her phone. She kept her phone away and disclosed what she had witnessed this time. She explained that Nayak trusted her completely. Though she kept away from the details of their relationship. She informed the police that heroin would be carried internationally, but the police chose to not act on it even after finding the luggage, hoping that they would catch hold of the smugglers when they returned with cocaine after five days. Before the police could end the cycle, Nayak executed the smugglers after he was informed that the police were aware of their operation. Nayak forced Bhumi to watch the video of his men executing the smugglers. He believed the more killing Bhumi would watch, the stronger she would get. Nayak then proceeds to cure Bhumi of the guilt and pain she felt after shooting a person and watching the execution through sex, of course!
Bhumi texted Fernandez that something big would take place that day. She then took pictures of Nayak’s operations and texted them to Fernandez. The police prepared to take control of the situation and got forces on the ground. The marked vehicles were followed by an armed police force, which took their position in front of Nayak’s warehouses. Fernandez instructed Bhumi to leave Nayak’s house before they attacked his operation, but she was trapped in the house. Fernandez waited for Bhumi, but after she informed him that she could not leave the house, the police proceeded with their plan. Every location was attacked, and drugs were seized. When Bhumi thought it was the end of her life, Nayak asked her to leave the house. Bhumi called Fernandez and informed him that Nayak was flying away and was on his way to the private airport. The police followed Nayak’s car and shot him dead. Bhumi was called to identify the body, and she confirmed that it was Nayak.
The twist in the tale was that the body Bhumi identified as Nayak was not Nayak but a man who worked for him. Bhumi executed Nayak’s elaborate plan of fooling the police and starting his business when they would be reluctant. It was Nayak who had advised Bhumi to inform the police about how he could listen to them through her phone. He asked her to share the truth with the police and add a little lie to it. Every picture she had sent was the one Nayak had asked her to. The police were led to believe that they had seized all his operations and killed the man. Whereas in reality, Nayak started to spread his wings wider and infiltrate Mumbai with a huge supply of drugs. Bhumi had a simple aim in her journey: she wanted to live no matter what. She knew that nobody would care about her, and she had to find a way to survive. Being loyal to Nayak allowed her to be safe, and she admired the man for his power and the love that he had showered her with. She was not used to a man loving her and desiring her. He made her feel good about herself-something that she struggled with.
‘She’ Season 2: Ending Explained: Is Bhumi Alive? Will There Be A Season 3?
Nayak asked Bhumi to murder the man she was sleeping with. He was not jealous of her relationship with the man; he wanted their relationship to be open enough so that she could be with other men if she desired. During his childhood years, Nayak enjoyed the voyeuristic pleasure of watching his mother and his brother-in-law make love in his parents’ room. But he always believed that if men could accept that their partner could be in a physical relationship with another man, then there would be less hate all around. It was their relationship that led to a war between the two families, which ultimately ended with Nayak slitting the throat of his brother-in-law. Even though Nayak looked up to the man, he had to murder him to bring justice to his family. He told Bhumi that the greatest power comes from killing the ones you love. Bhumi pointed her gun at Ambey in an attempt to kill him as instructed by Nayak, but she could not make herself do it. She asked him to run as far away from her life as he could. She returned to Nayak in tears, explaining how she could not do it. Nayak consoled her and showed her a video of his men suffocating Ambey. He forced Bhumi to watch the video, since only then could she be like him. He then proposed an idea. He asked Bhumi to take two weeks off and kill her sister, Rupa. She had a love-hate relationship with her sister, and he believed she would be the best first victim. Killing a family member requires courage, and he wanted Bhumi to demonstrate it.
Bhumi realized that she was playing with fire, and she immediately reached out to Fernandez. She shared that Nayak had informants at the airport, and it was later found that a police officer was helping Nayak keep track of their actions. She also offered Fernandez the number that Nayak had asked her to contact to send the names of the sex workers and the amount of drugs they required. It was Bhumi who was in charge of Nayak’s operation in Mumbai, and she employed sex workers to deal the drugs to the customers. She had to send a message to the number between 4:00 and 4:30 pm, and within 15 minutes, she would receive a text. This was the window within which the police could confirm who was working for Nayak and how he conducted his operations. She also informed him that the operation was cyclic, though she could not confirm a date for the next movement. On that day, the whole network would be in action, and it was the perfect day to expose Nayak’s operation.
Nayak doubted Bhumi since she was the only one who knew about the involvement of the airport staff. Bhumi explained that it could have been the staff themselves who might have disclosed the truth by mistake. When he expressed his doubt regarding her affection for him, she responded that even though she knew him for only a little while, no man had ever treated her with the amount of love and respect that he did. She got emotional talking about her experience with men since childhood, and Nayak believed what she said. He even provided Bhumi and her team of sex workers with an old building to work from. Meanwhile, the police tracked the number Bhumi provided them with and got hold of the man who was sending the message. The intelligence team found out the pattern of dates in which the chain functioned. They knew that it was according to the lunar calendar, and the next strike would be on the 7th of September. With the information Bhumi provided, the police knew six members of the syndicate who functioned on the dark web. The police planned to strike at 9 pm, and Nayak arranged to meet Bhumi at 9 pm as well. While the police forces took their positions at every location, Bhumi traveled to meet Nayak. He was about to leave on a boat, and he confessed how wrong he was to try to mold Bhumi into a person like him. He wanted her to be the person she was, the person he fell in love with. Bhumi was emotional. She had betrayed the man who confessed his love for her and his intention to be with her. She confessed the truth. She said how she had informed the police and how his network was being destroyed by the police at that very moment. Nayak checked his phone and received notifications confirming what Bhumi was saying was true. He was shocked and enraged. He searched for a sharp object to slit Bhumi’s throat, but he could not find any. He thought that shooting her would be a quick and easy death and that she deserved much worse. He decided to spare her life, he planned to return to Mumbai only to murder her. She would be his reason to return and rebuild his empire. He forcefully kissed her and caressed her, and taking the moment to her advantage, she grabbed hold of his gun and shot him in the stomach. He held onto the wound. She stood up and shot him another time. She added that she wanted to live and, therefore, she was her priority. Bhumi was able to murder the person she loved. She now had the power Nayak always spoke about.
Five years after the incident, we witness a drunk Fernandez who, after getting expelled from the police, visits Bhumi. Bhumi was now a drug mafia, and she operated from the building Nayak had gifted her. While most of Nayak’s drugs were destroyed, around 10-20% of them were sent to Bhumi to sell in Mumbai. Nayak had discussed a large consignment that Bhumi had to deal with, but she was not aware of the quantity. After Nayak’s death and having two rooms full of drugs, the sex workers wondered what they were supposed to do. They did not wish to throw it away; instead, they decided to sell it. It was risky, but they had nothing to lose. They needed the money for their offspring, and that was how Bhumi became the leader of the operation. She was now protected by armed women and lived the life of a criminal. After the case ended, Bhumi had two options: she could either go back to her middle-class life where nobody respected her, or she could be at the top of the world, where she was valued and respected. Bhumi had previously expressed how she was always an average girl at everything, but in this business, she was the best, and she wanted to be the best at something in life. Fernandez always blamed himself for pushing Bhumi into the world of crime, but Bhumi believed that she was meant for this life forever. She would have been where she is now in some way or another. Fernandez left the building, wondering how Bhumi had managed to murder Nayak but could not win against the enticing world of criminals. She was drawn into it and could not make herself escape it.
From a cop to a criminal, Bhumi had one hell of a journey. What she learned was that she had to protect herself, and nobody would do that for her. She had to do what was best for her, what seemed right to her at that moment. She never cared to be good; she simply tried to figure out how to live from one moment to another. While the series has a few interesting bits, it struggles to bring complete justice to the character of Bhumi. In the end, what seemed strange was how Bhumi, after five years, sported short hair and wore a shirt and pants. Hopefully, they did not make her dress like a man because she was leading a business. There must be a better reason for depicting her that way. Maybe another season to discuss Bhumi’s life after taking over the operation?
